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Last weekend Mary Beth, Aisha, and I went to one of the highest lakes in the world, Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca sits at a 3,820 meters high and straddles both Peru and Bolivia. On the southern shore and Bolivian side of the lake is Copacabana. A little ways of shore are the Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. The Island of the Sun is the closer one and the more visited one. It is the legendary Inca creation site and is the birthplace of the sun Inca mythology.
In order to get to Copacabana, we took a 4-hour bus from La Paz. When we arrived at Lake Titicaca, we actually had to get off our bus and take a boat across the lake. Our bus was transported by itself on some kind of platform (see picture). It was a pretty funny sight to see. After crossing the lake, we got back on the bus and continued to Copacabana. When we arrived in Copacabana, we quickly had an amazing lunch consisting of Trucha, the trout that lives in the lake, and started our 17km trek from Copacabana to Yampupata. Most people just take a boat from Copacabana to
Our bus crossing
Our tour bus crossing the lake, as we had to get off and cross by boat. Isla del Sol, but we wanted to trek the 17km through the various villages along the lake to Yampupata, where we would then hire our own boat to take us across to the island. Little did we know that 17km is a very long way, that it was constant up and down hills, and how heavy our bags were. Even though it was quite the work out, it was well worth it! It was so nice to see something other than the busy city of La Paz. These villages consisted of lots of farming and agriculture and were much more tranquil. Everyone we came across was very nice and welcoming and encouraged us on our journey. Along our trek we were able to see the Gruta de Lourdes (Virgin in a Cave) on the hillside, and we even ran into a local festival of some kind. Considering we didn’t start the trek until 1:30pm we definitely had to keep a good pace if we wanted to catch a boat at the end.
By the time we arrived in Yampupata, there was only one guy still at the boats and we begged him to take us across even though it
was around 6:00 pm. He finally agreed to take us across to the island. When we arrived at the southern tip of Isla del Sol in the village called Yumani, the last thing we wanted to do was hike up the Escalera del Inca (Inca Stairway), even though it was so beautiful. After finally getting to the top and completely out of breath, we picked one of the first hotels we saw, Hosteria Las Islas. It was a pretty nice hotel with a beautiful terrace and its own restaurant, but there was no hot water and the rooms were freezing. At that point, we didn’t really even care. We had a nice dinner of Trucha again and quickly went to bed.
The next morning we had breakfast and quickly got packed so that we could begin our journey around the island. We took a boat from the Yumani, the south, to a village called Cha’llapampa, at the northern end of the island. When we arrived, we purchased our tickets for the museum and the ruins there in Chincana. The museum was very small and consisted of artifacts from the underwater excavations near Isla Koa, north of Island del Sol.
After the museum we made our way up to the very top of the ridgeline of the island. When we arrived at the top there was a complex of old Incan ruins and the famous sacred rock where the Inca creation legend began. It was very beautiful and amazing to see such a structure still standing.
After exploring the ruins, we made our way across the ridgeline all the way to the southern village of Yumani again. Along our trek, there weren’t too many more ruins, but the views were incredible. On one side you can see all of Peru and on the other you can see all of Bolivia. It was another strenuous trek, but well worth it!
When we arrived in Yumani, a llama that was in our path quickly spit us at, and we encountered a local wedding ceremony. When we made it down the Inca Stairway again, we waited for about an hour and caught a boat back to Copacabana. That Saturday night we stayed in Copacabana.
On Sunday morning, we woke up early hoping to explore Copacabana, but it was very windy and cold. We forced ourselves out of bed and went and
Our Trek
The start of our 17km trek from Copacabana to Yampupata. saw the famous Moorish-style cathedral. Around the corner of the church was the Capilla de Velas (Candle Chapel), where thousands of candles lit of people illuminate an arched sepulcher. After the church, we watched a little bit of the Benediciones de Movilidades (Blessing of the cars) in front of the cathedral, where cars are blessed and decorated with flowers. After walking around the streets a little, we met up with Danny, a friend we had met the day before from Israel, and had one last meal of the delicious Trucha.
We thought our bus was supposed to leave at 1:30 pm, but after arriving at 1 and being told that the bus was full, we had to wait around for another hour for the 2:30pm bus. Little did we know, that the 2:30 bus would be a public bus, even though we had previously paid for a nice tourist bus for our return trip. After a dreadful hour and a half, we arrived at the lake crossing point again. This time however, there was a line of buses and cars waiting to be taken across. After an hour of waiting on the bus, most of the people got out,
Our Trek
You can see Copacabana in the background. crossed the lake on their own, and found another bus on the other side. Even though we had to pay again for another bus (only $1.50) it was well worth it because we got back on a very nice tourist bus and had an enjoyable additional 3-hour drive. When we arrived in La Paz, we were very tired from the travelling and the trip. Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol were truly amazing places and completely different than anything I have experience yet in South America. We had an amazing trip!!
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Gramps
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4th Entry
Hey KK: We're with you all the way via our armchairs...really enjoy your adventures and we don't have to hike !7Km (almost 6 miles) with a pack on one's back. Was the lake trout as good as Monterey Bay salmon? Do they have Nurse Practioners in La Paz? Take care Gramps